After 1945 the Soviet Union held a strong position across Eastern Europe, and communist parties came to dominate the governments of the region. This lesson sets out the documented changes and the episodes of resistance, and shows how to write about contested labels.
It forms part of Core option B study pathways and follows United States containment.
What changed?
- Soviet forces and political change (1945 to 1948): the Red Army was present across much of the region at the end of the war. By 1948 communist-led governments had taken power in Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia, where the February 1948 takeover is a documented case.
- Cominform (1947): a body linking communist parties. In June 1948 it expelled Yugoslavia, whose leader Tito had disagreed with Soviet direction, and Yugoslavia stayed outside the Soviet bloc.
- Comecon (1949): an economic organisation linking Soviet-aligned states.
- Warsaw Pact (May 1955): a military alliance of the Soviet Union and Eastern European states.
What was the resistance?
- East Germany, 17 June 1953: workers’ protests over conditions grew into wider demands, and Soviet tanks and East German forces ended them.
- Hungary, October to November 1956: protests became an uprising. The government of Imre Nagy announced reforms and an intention to leave the Warsaw Pact. Soviet forces entered Budapest on 4 November, and the uprising ended.
- Czechoslovakia, 1968: the reforms of the Prague Spring, led by Alexander Dubček, were followed on 20 to 21 August 1968 by the entry of Warsaw Pact forces. Soviet statements described this as assistance requested by Czechoslovak officials, while many Czechoslovaks and observers described it as an invasion.
Worked example: handle competing labels
Question: How far did the USSR control Eastern Europe between 1945 and 1968?
“Soviet influence was clear in the documented record. Soviet forces were present in the region and communist-led governments held power by 1948. The use of Soviet forces in Hungary in 1956 and the Warsaw Pact intervention in Czechoslovakia in 1968 show that the Soviet Union was willing to use force to maintain this position.
However, control was not complete, because Yugoslavia left the Soviet bloc in 1948, and reform movements in Hungary and Czechoslovakia show that local political aims differed from Soviet policy. Soviet statements described its actions as support for socialist states, which tells us how the Soviet leadership presented them. The evidence suggests strong influence with limits.”
The paragraph states the facts, notes the competing description as a viewpoint, and gives a qualified conclusion.
What mistake do students make?
Mistaken sentence: “The Eastern European countries were Soviet puppets, so none of the uprisings had a chance.”
It uses a loaded label and a prediction with hindsight. Replace the label with documented relationships and describe what each uprising aimed for and how it ended.
Check yourself
1. Which episode of resistance took place in 1956, and how did it end?
Show answer
The Hungarian uprising. Soviet forces entered Budapest on 4 November 1956 and the uprising ended.
2. Give one fact that supports and one that limits the claim “the USSR controlled Eastern Europe fully”.
Show answer
Supports: Soviet force was used in Hungary in 1956 and Czechoslovakia in 1968. Limits: Yugoslavia left the Soviet-led Cominform in 1948.
3. What kind of statement is “the intervention was fraternal assistance”?
Show answer
A source’s viewpoint, which shows how Soviet statements presented the intervention. It cannot by itself prove why the intervention happened.
Where this leads next
Move into the sourced explanation lesson to bring the whole module together, then test yourself with the practice set. For help applying the method to your own answers, see our online one-to-one History tuition.